Gynaecology

Hormonal ImbalancesImbalances in the reproductive hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) give rise to problems such as painful periods, irregular periods and premenstrual tension syndrome (PMT), and associated with these, painful lumpy breasts. All of these may respond well to acupuncture. Later in life, hot flushes and associated perimenopausal problems such as depression, muscle and joint pains and fatigue may be helped. Acupuncture is a safe alternative to using drugs such as HRT to treat the menopause.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) can lead to infertility because women do not ovulate. A series of electroacupuncture treatments can produce long lasting beneficial changes in the ovary and may stimulate ovulation.

Pelvic pain is pain experienced in the pelvis or perineum which has lasted longer than 3 months and isn't linked to a urinary tract infection.

Symptoms may come and go and pain can range from mild discomfort to debilitating. The pain may radiate to back and rectum, making sitting difficult. Dysuria (pain on passing water), joint pains, muscle pains and aching, unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, and frequency may all be present.

Pelvic pain can affect both males and females and there is sometimes an overlap withbladder problems. It is also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).

Bladder ProblemsBladder problems are common, affecting approximately 5 million women in the UK, of all ages.

The commonest symptoms are bladder pain, frequency (going to the loo very often) and nocturia (having to get up at night, often frequently) but patients are often more distressed by the depression, fatigue and anxiety that go with bladder problems. The term bladder problems describes a set of conditions including overactive bladder syndrome, irritable bladder syndrome and painful bladder syndrome. These conditions often overlap withpelvic painproblems. Minor degrees of stress incontinence can also be helped by acupuncture.

Vulvar pain or vulvodyniaA particularly distressing form of pain for women is Vulvodynia - pain in the perineum and vagina which is described as 'burning, stinging or rawness'. Treatment is notoriously difficult and a large group of patients do not respond to approaches which include steroid creams, local anaesthetic gel or amitriptyline. Acupuncture is often very successful in the treatment of vulvar pain.

FertilityThere are several studies showing that acupuncture/electroacupuncture will improve your chance of having a baby. (Download the full brochureon fertility).

Acupuncture shown to relieve fatigue in cancer patients A large-scale clinical trial has shown for the first time that acupuncture is effective in treating fatigue in former breast cancer patients. Fatigue affects hundreds of thousands of former cancer patients in the UK following their treatment, making it a huge health concern. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The trial, funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, with substantial support from Walk The Walk, showed that acupuncture had across-the-board benefits, alleviating both mental and physical fatigue and improving overall quality of life. The three-year trial, led by the University of Manchester, was carried out on over 300 patients and conducted at ten hospitals and support centres across the country.Fatigue affects up to 40% of former breast cancer patients, with few recognised treatments available. It can have a severe impact on quality of life, with mental and physical fatigue causing a range of problems from depression and memory loss to a severe lack of energy. These symptoms can in turn mean sufferers are unable to return to work, participate in social activities or even enjoy watching the television.Professor Alex Molassiotis, from the University of Manchester, who led the trial said:“Fatigue is a blight on the lives of thousands of former cancer patients and this trial proves acupuncture can help them. We were delighted to see so many patients getting substantial benefit from this treatment, particularly as they currently have limited options available.“We now need to carry out further work to understand the costs and benefits of delivering acupuncture before it can be made available on the NHS.”Julie Wray, 55, a mother-of-two from Cheadle, Cheshire, benefited from the acupuncture treatment after suffering fatigue as a result of her breast cancer treatment in 2006.Mrs Wray, a nursing lecturer at the University of Salford, said: “The fatigue from my breast cancer treatment was so bad simply driving to work left me exhausted. It got to the point that I thought I would have to give up my job. But receiving acupuncture treatment allowed me to get my old life back. Now I hope other women can benefit from acupuncture following this research.”Of the 302 patients in the trial, 227 were given weekly acupuncture sessions, with follow-up checks for another 18 weeks; 75 were given normal care. Patients given acupuncture had suffered from fatigue for an average of 15 months. They were then assessed for physical and mental fatigue, activity, motivation, anxiety, depression and quality of life. Under all of these assessments, acupuncture was shown to have significant benefits. While the researchers acknowledge a placebo effect was possible, they believe the results are too significant to be viewed as a result of any potential placebo effect alone.Acupuncture is a complementary or traditional medicine which has been used in China for hundreds of years. Its use in mainstream healthcare in the UK is still in its infancy, with it only being used on the NHS to treat lower back pain. The authors call for clinical trials to be set up looking at the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture, particularly weighed against reduced costs to society and the NHS of those suffering significant and protracted fatigue after cancer treatment. The benefits should also be investigated for other cancer types, the authors argue.Dr Julia Wilson, Head of Research at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said:“More people are surviving breast cancer than ever before which means quality of life after treatment is becoming increasingly important. These are very promising results which suggest acupuncture could reduce fatigue symptoms and improve the quality of life of many former breast cancer patients.“It raises the possibility that acupuncture could become a standard treatment for fatigue, although we are still some years from that becoming a reality.”

For dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) acupuncture has been shown to be of benefit: Jnl Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care 2003: 29(4)233-236.

A case series from Puerto Rico showed a success rate of 95% in relieving symptoms of endometriosis using acupuncturePaper presented at 4th International Medical Acupuncture Conference, Barcelona 2009

Acupuncture and electroacupuncture have both been shown to be very helpful in the management of hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms, and have no serious side effects. Menopause: Jnl of N American Menopause Soc 1995: 2 3-12

A recent study of patients with pelvic pain showed that 73% of them had positive responses to acupuncture, with 40% of them showing complete resolution. No conventional intervention for pelvic pain was shown to be effective . Lee SWH et al. Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain. The American Journal of Medicine 121(1) Jan 2008)

In a small trial 75% of the women with vulvodynia treated for a few weeks had some improvement and 'judged acupuncture more effective than any other treatment". Some considered themselves cured.Powell J, Wojnarowska. Acupuncture for vulvodynia. J R Soc. Med 1999; 92; 579-581

Acupuncture can also be very helpful for hot flushes associated with Tamoxifen and other drugs, and for sickness associated with chemotherapy. it has also been shown that gentle exercise can help fatigue in cancer patients - just regular gentle walks may help a lot.Many women find the Wellness Response helps them manage and cope better and to relax more.